India defeated Australia by 295 runs in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. It was the hosts’ first loss in five matches at the famous Optus Stadium. Despite the spicy pitch, Indian bowlers and batters performed better than the home players in the one-sided contest. The subcontinent team won the previous two red-ball series in Australia, but the matches were closely contested. Prior to that, the competition level was of the highest standard.
Former India player Sanjay Manjrekar labeled the most recent victory as the greatest in the history of Indian cricket. He highlighted the absence of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami, and Ravindra Jadeja from the Playing XI.
Rohit missed the game due to the birth of his second child, while Gill was injured. Shami was not considered for the tour because he was not fit. On the other hand, Ashwin and Jadeja were benched.
“It has to be the greatest win as five main players were missing. You are told to run a 100-meter sprint despite injury concerns and other issues, but you end up not only winning the race but setting up a new record. India’s win falls on the same line. It was next to impossible to stop Australia in Perth before the latest game, but India have achieved that also.
“I haven’t seen Australia in a similar position in the past in their backyard. India completely stunned them with their performance,” Sanjay Manjrekar said on Star Sports.
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